Unclaimed Lottery Ticket Sold On Chemstrand Road Set To Expire
July 4, 2018
The Florida Lottery today announced that a Fantasy 5 top prize-winning ticket worth $68,629.86 sold on Chemstand Road remains unclaimed. The 180-day deadline to claim the top prize is Tuesday, July 10 at 11 p.m.
The winning Fantasy 5 numbers for the January 11, 2018, drawing were: 02 – 13 – 19 – 27 – 28
The winning Quick Pick ticket was sold at 6 Brothers, located at 8702 Chemstrand Road. Players who may have purchased a Fantasy 5 ticket at this retail location are encouraged to check their tickets from the January 11 drawing.
While any Florida Lottery retailer can validate the winning ticket, the Fantasy 5 top prize must be claimed at a Florida Lottery District Office or at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.
Man Charged With Impersonating A Police Officer
July 3, 2018
The Pensacola Police Department has arrested a man for impersonating a police officer.
Stephen Williams, 39, was charged for the incident after he contacted people in the area of the Pensacola Village apartments in recent days indicating that he was a detective with the Pensacola Police Department, the agency said. He told the residents that he was investigating a missing persons case.
Pensacola Police said he has never been an employee of the department.
Williams was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $1,000 bond.
Overnight Drive-by Shooting In Molino Under Investigation
July 3, 2018
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a suspect after a drive-by shooting early Tuesday morning in Molino.
At 1:23 a.m., a resident of Cedartown Road near Allen Circle reported that someone in an unknown type vehicle opened fire at a residential trailer and an unoccupied vehicle, according to Amber Southard, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
She said responding deputies did locate shell casings in the roadway.
There were no injuries reported.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620, Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Two Injured In 297A Crash
July 3, 2018
Two people were injured in a two vehicle crash Tuesday morning on Highway 297A and Ashbury Lane, just south of County Road 97.. Both were transported to area hospitals by Escambia County EMS.
A third person was not injured in the 8:15 a.m. accident. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Collapse At Molino Bridge Project, Work Halted For FDOT Review; Second Similar Failure Weeks Ago
July 3, 2018
[EXCLUSIVE] There was a collapse at a bridge under construction in Molino on Saturday, the second failure incident in less than a month, and construction has been halted while the bridge’s engineering is reassessed, NorthEscambia.com has learned.
Saturday at the Barrineau Park Road (Hwy. 196) bridge over Jacks Branch, concrete for a bridge deck span was being poured into temporary forms when a rod and temporary truss failed, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. That caused two deck spans of concrete that had not hardened to fall into water below.
“Workers in the area noticed a ‘dip’ as they were pouring the concrete and attempted a repair, but the form system collapsed,” FDOT District 3 Public Information Director Ian Satter told NorthEscambia.com. There were no injuries, and the concrete does not pose an environmental hazard.
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About three weeks ago, crews were attempting to place concrete in another deck form that failed, causing the deck and truss under the form to sag, he said. That section of bridge deck was removed by the contractor (photos at page bottom).
Monday, Satter said construction on the $1.97 million FDOT-funded project was halted after Saturday’s collapse while the entire engineering plan for the bridge is evaluated.
“We are assessing everything out there, and we (FDOT) are doing everything to assure this will not happen again,” Satter said. “There are no construction related activities on the bridge right now. They are cleaning up the site and reassessed engineering plans will be submitted to FDOT.”
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He stressed that an independent team monitors the construction of each bridge for FDOT, and each bridge must pass multiple inspections before being opened to the public. “We will have a safe bridge in place,” he said.
GDB-US Constructors, Inc. of Parish, FL, is the contractor on the project, the lowest of four bidders. Satter said to his knowledge, this is their first bridge project in FDOT District 3, which includes the area from Pensacola to Tallahassee.
The original bridge contract specified a fall completion for the project. So far there is no indication that the two incidents will prevent the bridge from being completed on time, according to FDOT.
Barrineau Park Road at Jacks Branch has been closed since January with traffic detoured via Highway 29, Molino Road (Hwy. 182), and Highway 95A.
Photos obtained by NorthEscambia.com and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pictured below: Sections of concrete bridge deck removed from the bridge after it began to sag three weeks ago can be seen to the right of the bridge.
So This Beaver Heads Down To The Liquor Store On Highway 29…
July 3, 2018
A larger beaver was spotted alongside Highway 29 at Old Chemstrand Road, right in front of a liquor store, and it’s getting a lot of attention (and a lot of bad puns) on social media. Rick Littlefield said he was surprised to see the beaver, and it retreated into the drainage ditch shortly after these photos. Other local residents say they have seen beavers by the busy highway before. Photos courtesy Rick Littlefield for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Gets 20 Years After Road Rage Incident
July 3, 2018
An Escambia County man is headed to prison after a road rage incident.
Daniel Thomas Fountain,27, was sentenced by Circuit Judge Thomas Dannheisser to 20 years in state prison to include a five-year minimum mandatory. This means the defendant will serve the first five years of his sentence day for day and he will serve at least 85 percent of the remaining 15 years.
A road rage incident occurred around 6:30 a.m. on March 5, 2017, when the victim was traveling to work on Rainbow Drive in a residential neighborhood. When he pulled up to a speed bump, he noticed a black Lexus sitting on the opposite side of the road, facing in the opposite direction of his vehicle. The driver’s window of the Lexus was down and the defendant was hanging out of the window. The victim was side by side with Fountain.
When the victim passed Fountain, he looked back and Fountain fired three shots at the victim’s car and sped off. The victim gave law enforcement a detailed description of the suspect and the vehicle.
A few hours later, law enforcement responded to a disturbance involving a firearm at the home of Fountain’s girlfriend. Fountain was present in a black Lexus that matched the description fro the Rainbow Drive shooting. The victim later identified Fountain from a photo lineup.
Learn How To Loom Knit During Cantonment Park Program
July 3, 2018
Learn the basics of how to loom knit hats, scarves, lap blankets and other items at a West Florida Library program Thursday in Cantonment,
Yarn and looms will be provided free of charge during the program at 2 p.m. at Carver Park on Webb Street.
For more information, call (850) 475-5220.
Century CRA Plan Completed For Review (With Plan PDF)
July 3, 2018
Century’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) plans are complete and are moving forward toward final approval.
The Century Town Council, sitting as as the Community Redevelopment Agency, submitted the plan Monday night to the town council sitting as Local Planning Agency. The Local Planning Agency has 60 days to submit a review of the plan to ensure it conforms to the town’s comprehensive plan and return a recommendation to the CRA.
The public can also review the plan by clicking here or in person during normal working hours at Century Town Hall and submit written comments to Town Clerk Kim Godwin.
Once the CRA is in place and operating, it will work to improve conditions within the area. As property tax values rise, most of the increase will be funneled back into the redevelopment area for further improvements.
The CRA area is 510 acres, bounded by Jefferson Avenue to the south, Jefferson Avenue to the east, East High 4 to the north and the center line of North Century Boulevard to the west. It also extends north on the east side of North Century Boulevard to include commercial properties up to, and including, the former Burger King. Click here for a detailed map (pdf).
Pictured top: Century town planner Debbie Nickles explains the CRA to the Century Town Council, which heard about the plan while sitting as both the Community Redevelopment Agency and the Local Planning Agency. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
New York Media: Century Man Convicted On Child Sex Charges
July 3, 2018
Major media outlets in New York City are reporting a man from Century has been convicted of over two dozen child sex abuse charges on Long Island, but NorthEscambia.com has learned that he only lived in the local area as a prison inmate.
Suffolk County (NY) District Attorney Timothy D. Sini announced the sentencing of 27-year old Benjamin Fielman of Century, FL, for sexual conduct involving three young children who were in his care in Suffolk County between 2009 and 2014.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, nFielman was serving time at Century Correctional Institution prior to being extradited to New York state to face charges in Suffolk County, which includes Long Island.
Fielman was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Broward County, FL, in June 2017 for child sex abuse convictions.
Fielman was convicted in New York last week of sexually abusing and taking sexually explicit photos and videos of three unrelated children between the ages of 7 and 11 years old. He was employed as a babysitter for the children.
In April 2014, the Suffolk County Police Department was contacted by Florida law enforcement officials after they arrested Fielman on charges related to sexual abuse of a child. During the Florida investigation, authorities found Fielman to be in possession of child pornography and determined that it originated in Suffolk County. Florida authorities contacted the Suffolk County Police Department’s Computer Crimes Unit, which investigated the origin of the images and videos through the files’ metadata and was able to identify the victims.
On March 8, 2018, Fielman was extradited from Florida by detectives from the Suffolk County Police Fugitive Squad. He was returned to Suffolk County to face the charges against him in New York.
“This conviction was the result of excellent investigative work by the Suffolk County (NY) Police Department in collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement officials in Florida,” Sini said.